Is it legal to rent out your home short-term without registering in Barcelona?

In Barcelona, it is illegal to rent out your home on a short-term basis without proper registration. The city has specific regulations that require homeowners to obtain a tourist license before listing and renting their property for short-term stays. This measure is part of an effort to regulate the booming holiday rental market, which has been blamed for increasing rental prices and contributing to housing shortages for local residents. The process includes ensuring the property meets certain standards and criteria set by the local government, and failure to comply can result in hefty fines.

Trivia: Barcelona’s strict regulations on short-term rentals were largely a response to the city’s experiences with overtourism, which saw local residents’ quality of life impacted by the high volume of tourists staying in residential areas.